Actually didn’t realise until I got here that this is the 100th anniversary of FC Köln’s stadium! Check out the pre-game routine!
Today I am going to see ‘eff-zeh’ Köln play against one of the four ‘most hated’ clubs in Germany – namely Hoffenheim, Wolfsburg, Leverkusen and (above all) die Roten Bullen of Leipzig.
From an English perspective one might be tempted to add Bayern to this list – and indeed they are hated, but only in a standard resentful way, not in an ideological way. But they are also loved.
These clubs are universally hated because they have not evolved organically, and/or do not conform to (or are exempted from) the German model of 50+1 fan representation. They are therefore seen as bucking the system and are merely the tools of outside investors. There is no equivalent in British football, where money and clawing ambition are accepted as a universal currency (and no, naked sectarianism does not count as ideology, even you try and gloss over it by waving a Sankt Pauli flag). Probably the nearest thing we have would be the universal (but relatively mild) disdain for the “MK Dons”.
For an explanation of the ‘50 plus 1’ rule, see here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50%2B1_rule
On a happier note, my favourite thing about FC Köln is Hennes IX, who is, of course, a Billy Goat, and is paraded before every home game. His mocking bleat can also be heard over the sound system at appropriate moments (eg the opposition missing a chance). For an explanation of Hennes, and why he is Hennes IX, see this article in the excellent magazine ‘These Football Times’
Off for a pint now!
